Blast from the Past: Remote Control!

This video is a hoot. It's a 1961 ad for an amazing new invention, a color TV with a "remote control." Kids today would be confused by the non-remote sets we grew up with. We didn't even have a knob on our earliest set, it had to be turned with pliers. But my bio-dad's second wife's dad (how's that for a family tree?) had a wired remote, with two whole buttons on it.

Mom's mom had a TV with a remote too, one with six or eight buttons, including "zoom" and only three volume levels: too loud, too soft, and not quite "just right." Mom eventually had one too, and like Grandma's, it wasn't infra-red, but was controlled by high-frequency sound. Mom actually sneezed the TV on once by apparently hitting the right note! These days, we all have so many remotes, we sometimes have to buy even more to unify them. But this is how it all began. . .



The lady in this ad looks like she's been turned on by the remote, the way she fondles the TV!